I have a 4 month old puppy which is almost 5 months. She has a barking problem which we want to train her that inside the house it is nice good to bark and growl at the family but stranger's and outside is fine.

We have been concidering a bark collar or shock collar, but I don't know if she is to young for one and if she isn't which one should I concider. I placed an order for the video but its going to take a bit to get to us and I don't want to get in trouble with the landlord due to her barking.

Anyone gave any good idea's?

Have you tried teaching her a "quiet" command, or even "bark" and "no bark"? I would try getting the point across this way before I put a collar on a 4mo old pup. If you get her to associate her barking with a "bark" or "speak" command, then adding "no" isn't that hard. At her age, I would be afraid that a bark collar would make her just about silent, both inside and out.

I trained my two dogs that I had as pupppies at a very young age that barking is not allowed ever. Basically I corrected the reaction before the bark as part of socialization and it worked better than I ever expected. If you've noticed a calm laid back dog is generally not a dog who is barking.

I know this sounds harsh but it wasn't nearly so bad. Basically it went something like this. Every day event that normally would result in barking like at my apt where I first got the dogs a neighbor walking up or down the stairs. Puppy throws it's ears forward and tenses up I say "Enough." If the puppy didn't immediately calm down one index finger ala Dog Whisperer to the neck with a strong "no, enough." Was generally all it took. If I had a stubborn moment with one of them I went as far as scruff and stare, "NO Enough." Once calm was achieved mild praise. Nothing that gets them excited but lets them know you're happy with them. Basic rule is to try to get matching excitement levels. These were puppies after all.

After this my puppies were generally calm, easy to train (no it didn't remove drive), and completely yap free which is amazing for papillons who are known for being yappy little dogs. Really in the case of my dogs having them be bark free was the goal because I didn't want to surgically have them debarked like is so common with papillon breeders.

But Melissa, she wants them to be alert when outdoors, from what I understood. I don't think she wants Stepford Puppy. I thought the question was how to differentiate between inside (quiet time) and outside (ok to bark at strangers) and if an ecollar was a good idea.

Does she bark ALL the time in the house? Or just when people come in and out?

I don't believe it's possible to have all of both worlds is what I was trying to get across. It's about being fair and in a dogs brain teaching the "sometimes" events to a young puppy falls into the unfair catagory IMO.

In my experience young puppy training is about absolutes. You pee here, you poo here, you come when I call you, you walk on a leash where I take you. Expanding this idea into grey areas too early I think is a bad idea.

My dogs at this point in their lives at 2 and 3 have figured out the things they're allowed to alert to. Stranger in the garage and strange car pulling in the driveway. Once I say enough the barking ends.

"I trained my two dogs that I had as pupppies at a very young age that barking is not allowed ever"
and
"My dogs at this point in their lives at 2 and 3 have figured out the things they're allowed to alert to. Stranger in the garage and strange car pulling in the driveway. Once I say enough the barking ends"
are very different.

The second one (bark is OK unless I said to stop) makes sense to me.

I don't understand this sentence in the O.P.: "She has a barking problem which we want to train her that inside the house it is nice good to bark and growl at the family but stranger's and outside is fine."

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 Quote: connie sutherland

"I don't understand this sentence in the O.P.: "She has a barking problem which we want to train her that inside the house it is nice good to bark and growl at the family but stranger's and outside is fine."

I think she meant: it is NOT good to bark and growl at the family, but strangers and outside are fine...

It sounds like your puppy is barking for attention and she is getting what she wants whether if it is a postive or negative attention. What kind of dog is she?

Can you crate her in a room without her barking? If she's barking, ignore her behavior and do not let her come out. Only let her out when she is not barking in crate. I believe this is a baby step to teach her that you control her when she is barking and not. I do not think a barking collar is a good idea on a four months old puppy. You should teach her a command "no bark" and "bark."